We’re back for another edition of our weekly roundup, where we recap the past week in Boston College sports. Featured this week is lacrosse staying perfect, baseball picking up a win at No. 8 Louisville, and much more. There’s coverage of that below, along with some of the other things we’ve seen this week.
Men’s Basketball Limps to the Finish Line
It was certainly not a good end to the season for men’s basketball, which lost handily to both North Carolina and North Carolina State at home in the final two games of the season. First, the Eagles simply couldn’t keep up with a Tar Heels attack, going into the break trailing by 23 points before losing, 79-66. Then, in a deflating loss to the Wolfpack, BC shot just 26 percent from the floor, suffering an embarrassing 73-47 loss on Senior Day. Issues on the glass also plagued the Eagles in both games, as they were outrebounded, 60-35, against UNC before losing the rebounding battle, 56-36, to N.C. State.
For more coverage of the men’s basketball team, take a look at an analysis of how Ky Bowman’s game has changed with the absence of Wynston Tabbs here.
Women’s Basketball Falls in the First Round of ACC Tournament
The Eagles traveled to Greensboro, N.C., for the conference tournament seeking to change their fortunes after rounding out the regular season with an eight-game losing streak. Unfortunately for BC, it was a short stay—head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee’s team took on Virginia in the first round but lost, 77-61, despite holding a 12-point lead in the third quarter. Emma Guy continued her excellent end to the season, tallying a team-high 18 points to go along with seven rebounds, but couldn’t offset a 29-point effort from Jocelyn Willoughby. With the loss, the Eagles’ first campaign under Bernabei-McNamee comes to a close.
Men’s Hockey Misses a Chance to Sweep Providence
BC concluded the regular season with a trip to Schneider Arena to play No. 8 Providence. The Eagles had upset the Friars twice at home earlier in the year but couldn’t replicate the feat, falling, 3-1, despite a late goal from J.D. Dudek. Joseph Woll was once again solid in the loss, recording 28 saves. With the defeat, BC finished the season with its first losing record since the 1996-97 campaign but still managed to claim the seventh seed in the Hockey East tournament, which represents the Eagles’ last hope of making it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2015-16 season. For a recap of the game, click here.
Women’s Hockey Falls Just Short in Hockey East Tournament
It was a mixed weekend for women’s hockey, which advanced to the Hockey East Tournament final before losing in dramatic fashion to rival No. 3 Northeastern. In the semifinal, the Eagles faced Boston University, which had beaten BC twice in three regular-season meetings. The fourth encounter, though, was dominated by the Eagles from the beginning. Lindsay Agnew opened the scoring just 22 seconds into the contest, and BC added three more goals in the second period before eventually winning in definitive fashion, 5-1.
The tournament final was much more dramatic. The Huskies seized a 2-1 lead with just five minutes to play in the contest, thanks to a power-play tally from Alina Mueller, but Kali Flanagan sent the contest to overtime with a snipe just under the crossbar as the clock ticked under five seconds. Yet her effort was all for naught, as Kasidy Anderson buried the winner past Maddy McArthur to hand BC a heartbreaking defeat. For a summary of all the drama, check out our recap here.
Lacrosse Passes Big Road Tests
The No. 1 Eagles hit the road to start one of their toughest stretches of the season, taking on No. 12 Navy on Wednesday and No. 5 Northwestern on Saturday. First, BC had no problems with the Midshipmen, scoring 12 of the game’s final 13 goals and cruising to an 18-5 win. Sam Apuzzo continued her history of hot performances against Navy, scoring six goals in the first 27 minutes before finishing with a game-high 10 points.
The Eagles ran into some more problems against the Wildcats and entered halftime up just 9-8. The second half, though, was a different story. After Northwestern equalized just 20 seconds into the period, BC outscored the Wildcats, 12-5, over the next 21 minutes to grab a 21-14 lead and held on to win, 22-17, improving to 8-0 on the season. Dempsey Arsenault led the Eagles with a career-high seven goals.
Baseball Records First-Ever Win at Louisville
Baseball started the week off with a trip to Kentucky to take on the Wildcats and left winners, in large part because of Sal Frelick’s hot bat. The freshman went 3-for-5 and opened the scoring with a home run, helping BC stay in the game until a late offensive explosion gave the Eagles an impressive 12-3 victory. For a summary of that game, click here.
The real test of the week for BC, however, came with the beginning of ACC play. In the first conference series of the season, the Eagles were handed the tall task of traveling to No. 8 Louisville. Despite dropping the first two games of the series, 4-0 and 11-4, BC bounced back with a 6-4 win in the weekend finale behind a strong performance from starter Mason Pelio, who allowed just one unearned run and four hits in seven and two-thirds innings. The victory marked the Eagles’ first-ever win at Louisville, as they entered the weekend winless in six tries at Jim Patterson Stadium. For a recap of all three games against the Cardinals, check out our article here.
Softball Ends Trip to Florida on a High Note
BC closed its string of games in Florida with tilts against Central Florida, Penn, and Florida International, beating the Quakers and Panthers but falling to the Knights. Against Penn, the Eagles won, 4-0, and Susannah Anderson was excellent, pitching a complete-game shutout while allowing just three hits in the process. But BC’s bats went quiet against UCF, tallying just a lone run thanks to a home run by Jenna Ergle. Camryn Dolby, who got the start, couldn’t quite replicate the performance of Anderson, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk as the Eagles fell, 4-1. Thursday, in the road trip finale against FIU, Gianna Boccagno—who finished the contest 3-for-4—played hero, blasting a go-ahead home run in the top of the seventh inning to put BC on top for good, 3-2.
Moment of the Week: Kali Flanagan’s Game-Tying Goal in the Hockey East Final.
It may have come in a losing effort, but a last-second tying goal in a tournament final is always a special moment. Had the Eagles pulled out the win, it surely would have ranked as one of the most famous goals in program history.
What’s Next?
Men’s basketball takes on Pittsburgh in the first round of the ACC tournament.
Lacrosse hosts No. 21 Georgetown on Saturday.
Men’s hockey kicks off the Hockey East tournament with quarterfinal games at Providence Friday and Saturday.
Women’s hockey travels to Potsdam, N.Y., for an NCAA quarterfinal against Clarkson on Saturday.
Baseball plays its home opener against Holy Cross Tuesday, before a weekend series at Wake Forest.
Softball has a weekend series at North Carolina.
Men’s tennis heads to Florida for ACC matches against Florida State and Miami.
Women’s tennis stays home to take on Virginia Tech on Sunday.
Featured Image by Bradley Smart / Heights Editor
